Team USA skated past a fundamentally-sound Swiss team to remain undefeated at the Vancouver games. The Americans outshot Switzerland 44-19 on route to a 2-0 win. Twenty-five year old New Jersey Devil, Zach Parise, scored both goals to help the USA advance to the semifinals. The top seeded Americans are 4-0 at the 2010 Olympics and two victories away from a gold medal. Team USA plays Finland on Friday.
Swiss backstop, Jonas Hiller, denied the USA with 42 saves. The left-handed Anaheim goalie allowed a goal in the third period off a Parise power play wrist shot to break the scoreless tie. The top-line forward sealed the game with his second goal, an empty-netter with eleven seconds remaining in regulation. The taut quarterfinal battle was a nerve-wracking and frustrating one for the Americans. Hiller smothered all U.S. attempts in the first two periods. Hiller dealt with shots, blasts and rebounds as the youthful US was unable to crack through with a goal. A team USA goal was disallowed because it came .1 second after the second period whistle. Parise finally solved Hiller’s brilliance by catching the talented netminder off balance. Ryan Miller, the American goalie from the Buffalo Sabres, was equally impressive. Miller made 19 saves in the stirring contest. Miller recorded the first American shutout in the Olympics since 2002.
Canada’s convincing and commanding 7-3 romping of rival Russia advances the host country to the semifinal round in men’s hockey. The world champion superpower Russians were dominated from start to finish in their quarterfinal contest with Canada. Ryan Getzlaf scored with two and a half minutes into the game to lift the Canadians to a 1-0 lead. The Russians notched their first goal off Roberto Luongo after Canada built a 3-0 advantage in the first. Canada’s Dan Boyle scored a goal and had two assists against his Anaheim teammate, goalie Evgeni Nabokov. Dimitri Kalinin sliced the Canadian lead to 3-1 with Russia’s first goal. Luongo replaced New Jersey’s Martin Brodeur after Canada fell to the Americans.
The Russians didn’t get many chances to fire shots because of the tight Canadian defense. The focused Canucks took advantage of Nabokov’s terrible goaltending. They increased their edge to 4-1 before the second period began before staging a four-goal win. Canada’s Brandon Morrow attacked the San Jose goalie for a soft goal to end the second period. Ilya Bryzgalov replaced Nabokov after Corey Perry and Shea Weber accounted for two more Canadian goals, for a 6-1 lead. Maxim Afinogenov responded with a Russian goal to pull his team within four of tying the score. Canada reestablished the five goal benefit on Perry’s second goal of the game. Sergei Gonchar slapped a shot past Luongo from the point to make it a 7-3 final. Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin were merely non-factors for their teams in the quarterfinal contest. Neither player had a point during the 10 goal affair. Luongo recorded 25 goals as the Canadians bounced back from a dismal defeat. The Russians were eliminated with the loss, and Canada goes on to face Slovakia. If both the USA and Canada advance on Friday, a rematch will be in order.
Parting Points: How does Pitt lose to Notre Dame without Luke Harangody?
Evan Turner rescues Ohio State by saving their bacon against Penn State. Gotta love #21.
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